Biology has changed. The amount of biological data we can now collect has exploded, from automated sensors at our borders to genomic data tracking where pests come from. But are we maximising the opportunities to gather insight that this data could offer?
In this episode computational biologist Dr Murray Cox joins Amanda and Peter to explore what biological data could do for our biosecurity system. His answer might surprise you. It is not about more sophisticated technology. It is about fixing the structure underneath all of it.
If you could reimagine the biosecurity system in Aotearoa, what would that look like? Murray has a view. And it is simpler than you might think.
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Chapters:
00:00 Rethinking Biosecurity Structure
00:51 Podcast Intro and Guest
02:08 Data Transforming Biosecurity
02:45 Where Bio Data Comes From
03:40 What Counts as Data
05:48 Linking Messy Datasets
08:06 Ownership Privacy and Access
10:07 LINZ and Open Data Model
12:55 Why Data Stays Siloed
14:07 Benefits of Integration
16:57 Genomics and Global Sharing
19:27 NZ Examples and Duplication
22:26 Asking Better Questions
25:36 AI as Literature Scout
28:52 Access and Secure AI Systems
29:45 National LLM Reality Check
30:18 AI Hype and Job Fears
30:57 AI for Specific Tasks
33:07 Proactive Biosecurity Future
34:20 Fragmented System Fix
36:48 Data Differences Don’t Matter
38:03 Genetics for Border Breaches
41:00 Windborne Threats and Surveillance
43:03 Cost Benefit and Cheaper Tech
44:14 Commercial Data and Access
46:52 Federated Data Ecosystem
49:50 Structural Reform and Models
51:06 Closing Thanks
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